Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Dagon


(2001) ***1/2

I saw octo mention this one in his review of Ravenous, and realized that it was one I'd grabbed on the DVR a few weeks ago. So today when I got Ian down for his afternoon nap, I fired it up.

First of all, octo is right that this is a lot of fun. I didn't read his review till after watching, and I see that he does rate it a bit higher than I do (he gives it a full ****1/2), but I'm thinking that my viewing lost at least half a point for being a crappy tv edited version with no gore or nudity anywhere. Bummer. I think it probably loses another half star from me due to a pretty confusing underlying premise that really I didn't understand till reading octo's review. I think his prior Lovecraft knowledge helped him pick up on some shit I missed. It might also be the fault of some completely unintelligible exposition midway through the movie, told by an old guy who just mumbles his lines in a super thick accent. No chance at comprehension, and I wasn't going to crank the volume and risk waking Ian.

Still, even this version was worth sticking with.

It's about a nerdy guy and his rich girlfriend whose sailboat gets grounded in a storm just off the coast of some remote village (turns out to be in Spain--I was thinking Caribbean). When they dingy into town for help, they quickly realize that the town's inhabitants are all really sea monsters. Most of the story involves Paul trying to escape from the monsters, particularly from a hot chick/sea monster hybrid that he'd been dreaming about before setting foot in town. She's apparently his soulmate, so he's pretty freaked out when he runs into her.

This is definitely B-movie territory, but it's one that takes itself fairly seriously. In other words, it's not camp (though at times the actor playing Paul falls into this a bit, and it's distracting). The town itself is the highlight. It's wet and deserted and wet and spooky and really fucking wet, and everything is covered in mold and rust--from all the wetness I'm guessing. And for a B-movie, it's actually got some pretty impressive production values, especially the awesome gold tunnel into the sea floor that octo captured a pic of in his review.

2 comments:

Johnny Sweatpants said...

I love this movie too! It's a lot of fun if you're looking for something a little different.

Whirlygirl said...

I've had this in my to watch pile since the beginning of Oct., but haven’t managed to get to it yet. I will hold off on reading your review until after I see it.

Malevolent

 2018  ***1/2 It's 1986 for some reason, and a team of paranormal investigators are making a big name for themselves all over Scotland. ...